In which Bel is a ghoul
by AllThingsVaria
Summary: ... and Xanxus is looking for a Storm Guardian.


(From the very first time **Xanxus** saw Bel, he had known the boy wasn't human.)

The child was crouching over the dirty, bloody ground, partly obscured by the darkness surrounding him. Tiny fingers wrapped themselves around a severed arm and teeth sunk deep into human flesh. Disgusting, wet chewing sounds filled his ears, followed by the gulp of a swallow – and repeat. Careful not to alert the ghoul, Xanxus drew his gun. He didn't aim yet, didn't shoot, but remained ready all the same.

It wasn't the first time he had seen a ghoul - wouldn't be his first time fighting one, either - but this definitely _was_ the first time Xanxus had come across one of their young ones out and about, displaying its freakish nature so openly... Usually, ghoul children weren't as strong – or as dangerous – as their adult counterparts could be, but he knew that was no reason to let his guard down.

Just like the rest of its kind, the ghoul in front of him bore the appearance of a human… it could easily have passed as one, too, if it weren't so preoccupied with _eating_ one of Xanxus's subordinates. The fuck was it doing out here all by itself, anyway? Was it orphaned? Hungry? Simply stupid? It didn't matter: the scene in front of him was familiar enough. Tyr's old Storm Guardian had been pinned down by knives, and then viciously stabbed to death. A hint of Storm Flames still clung to him, and Xanxus had to admit... he hadn't expected some scrawny brat to be at the bottom of this. Or a fucking _ghoul_ , for that matter.

He'd come out here to recruit... but it didn't look like that would still be happening.

There was no kagune in sight, for now – no wounds that seemed to have been caused by one either… so it was a pity Xanxus would have to kill this one; the brat's kills really _were_ Varia Quality.

He took a step forwards and the ghoul's head snapped up in response, a trail of blood and saliva dripping down its chin. Its eyes were hidden, obscured by a long curtain of blonde hair, but had they been visible Xanxus was sure that he'd have staring straight at a creepy pair of ghoul eyes. As it was, the tiny, red veins peeking out from underneath the child's bangs were the only indication of its true nature.

Slowly, as it pushed itself up to a standing position, a wide and predatory grin spread out on the child's lips.

"Are you his boss?" The ghoul asked, nodding in the direction of its latest victim.

The language the ghoul had spoken in was Italian, but something about the boy's accent made Xanxus think that this kid was not from around here. A foreign ghoul? And, even stranger, foreign royalty that just so happened to be a ghoul? Xanxus eyed the silver crown on the boy's head with interest.

(Hadn't he heard something about that? Something about a royal family being slaughtered some weeks ago, and their youngest son having gone missing in the aftermath?)

A glance at the corpse was enough to confirm what he had already known: Tyr's old Storm Guardian had gone and become ghoul food. Good riddance – he'd been planning on replacing the old bastard with somebody more trustworthy anyway.

He grunted, "So what if I am, trash?"

The ghoul's grin only widened.

"Finally!" It said, childish voice entirely too cheerful for a little monster that had just been caught chewing on a man's arm. "The Prince has been trying to catch your attention. You're a killer, right? Let me join your group."

…

…

…

Wait,

 _What?_

That was _not_ what he'd been expecting.

Was this brat serious? Well, it wasn't like there were any _rules_ against allowing ghouls into the Varia. He'd have to pull a few strings, and might have to keep an eye on it – _him_ – for a while, but… it was possible. It was possible, and in the end, Xanxus always got what he wanted. He looked over to his new Bonded (had he just _Harmonised_ with a ghoul? He had, hadn't he. Oh, fuck his life.), and decided the boy would need a new name to join the Varia.

Maybe… yes, it would fit him just fine.

"Alright, you're in. You better not slow me down, Belphegor."

The boy tilted his head curiously, then grinned.

"Ushishi~ that's _Prince_ Belphegor to you, peasant."


End file.
